


In Color

by brerediddy



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Eating Disorders, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 05:54:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4168413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brerediddy/pseuds/brerediddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is in black and white until you meet your soulmate, and Phil is surprised when he finds that his in hospital with an ED.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Color

"Phil, let me look at you...you're so handsome!" Grandma Dee exclaimed, drawing the aforementioned boy's face closer to her with her outstretched hands. The IV was struggling to stay in her arm, but she seemed like she could care less. "Your eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue," Dee nodded before releasing his cheeks. 

"Really?" Phil asked. "Mum always says they change color, but I wouldn't know." 

She tsk-ed. "Still haven't found them yet, huh?"

"Afraid not, Gran. But it's going to be soon! I can feel it."

She nodded, relaxing back into the bed and shifting around her broken hip. She'd been here for five days, and Phil visits her every single day at 5:00, when he's done at his part-time job as a resale clerk. Dealing with people there is no fun, no fun at all, and Phil doesn't appreciate all of the negativity he deals with on a daily basis. 

His grandma helps with that. They had always been close, and she was the most supportive person in his life (even though his parents were high up on the list). 

"What was it like, when you met Granddad?" he asked her after a thoughtful silence. Phil knew the story but he always asked her about it because he loved hearing it as much as she loved telling it.

"Well, when I was fifteen," Dee began, a reminiscent gleam in her lapis lazuli eyes, "I was a ballet dancer. I was so passionate about it." 

She'd actually gone on to dance in world famous acts, but that was another story. 

"Every single day, on my way to the dance studio, I would have to walk past a group of constriction men. They would sit around all day, and they were always there. Now, they weren't rude like many are these days. They would offer to make me some coffee, or even just crack a joke of two to make me smile. Very kind people." 

 

She folded her arms, licking her lips for a second before continuing. 

"Every single day I saw in black and white. It wasn't terrible, as you know, but I always felt like I was missing something. Then, one day, I was on my way to rehearsal and as soon as I passed the working men, I noticed someone new out of the corner of my eye. I was running late - I very nearly didn't turn around - but something compelled me to. I turned around and looked into the most beautiful green eyes. I was so entranced by his eyes that I hadn't even realized that I could see in color! I wasn't the brightest, Philip, I'm sure you know."

Phil laughed and nodded for his grandma to continue. 

"He was staring at me in exactly the same way I was staring at him. And we both just knew. It's the most magical thing, I just can't wait for you to experience it." 

"I can't wait to experience it either," he agreed eagerly. 

"Those fifty-four years I spent with your granddad were the greatest, the absolute greatest." 

Phil was about to ask her how she was feeling when he caught sight of the clock. Nearly 6:30. 

"Sorry Gran, I'm supposed to be meeting some friends for dinner soon. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow!" he promised, kissing her cheek sweetly, shouldering his bag, and waving before walking out into the hallway.

Phil lets himself get caught up in his thoughts. He finds himself doing that quite often, honestly. He thinks about what he sees in front of him. Black and white, mainly different shades of grey. His grandma was right - he did feel like he was missing something. 

At twenty years old, only a small percentage of his friends had found their soulmate. His parents didn't find each other until they were in their late twenties. He still had time, why did it worry him so much? 

Phil got scared sometimes when he read reports of soulmate findings. There were always the unlucky few whose soulmate died before they could meet, or their paths never crossed perfectly enough, and they would spend the rest of their lives without color. 

Phil thought that was the most horrible thing. 

He's so caught up in his thoughts that he doesn't even realize where he's walking until he nearly trips over someone's metal IV stand. 

"I'm so sorry, I-" he stops because when he whirls around to see the person he'd run into, everything flashes into vibrant colors. It's happening, it's really happening! Phil can't believe how amazing this is, all of the colors, until he actually looks at his supposed soulmate. 

They're just a bit shorter than him, with hair cut the same way, just parted and colored differently. The boy is wearing a loose tee-shirt and sweatpants that are drooping off of one hip, gripping tightly to the pole in front of him. He has the most completely gorgeous eyes Phil has ever seen, a rich brown the same color as the beautiful earth. It nearly takes his breath away. But...his eyes aren't as lively as Phil thinks they should be. They look almost...empty? Sunken in and surrounded by dark circles. He's pale, unhealthy so, and his face is so defined that it almost doesn't look natural. One glance at the rest of the boy tells him all he needs to know. The bony fingers and jutting out collarbones. Shaking legs. 

It breaks his heart. 

They realize that they've both just been standing there, looking at each other, when Phil's soulmate speaks for the first time. 

"Care to walk with me?" 

He nods even though he is completely dumbfounded. As empty as his eyes look, there's a small smile on his chapped lips. More a smirk, actually. He has the most symphonic voice, Phil thinks. And he has a Southern twinge to his speech, relevant even in just five words. 

"Please," Phil finally squeaks out, unsure of how he feels. His soulmate is...is in pain. Maybe that's not the right word. His soulmate has been hurting terribly for what appears to be a long time. He wants to help, but even if they're soulmates, they're still strangers for now. 

So he walks with the boy, taking in the entire new world he's been opened up to, and the smaller boy looks like he is doing the same. 

"My name is Dan," he introduces, glancing down the hallway before turning. 

"I'm Phil."

"We're soulmates," Dan points out, stating the obvious and glancing at the other.

Phil nods, and then begins. "I guess we'd better get to know each other, yeah?"

Dan gives another small grin before beckoning to a door. "My room is just in here, if you'd want to hang out for a bit."

"Of course I would," he agrees, but something in his stomach drops when he realizes that the room must mean his soulmate has been here a while. 

Dan leads Phil into the surprisingly spacious room, walls painted the dull blue of a forced feeling of home. The bed in the center of the room has a black and grey duvet resting on it. There's an Xbox hooked up to the TV, along with a red beanbag chair next to it. There are some balloons in the corner near the restroom with cliché sayings plastered over them. Cheer up! Feel better! Hang in there! Phil very nearly rolls his eyes, even if it is a little bit cute. 

Dan sits on the side of his bed, still clutching the stand with everything in him. Phil doesn't know what to do with himself at first but the smaller boy pats on the mattress space next to him in a welcoming manner. 

"So," Phil begins, sitting down. "Tell me more about yourself, Dan."

"I'm eighteen, I'm a Gemini, and...my favorite color used to be black, but now I think it may be blue."

The elder smiles genuinely at that. He finds that Dan is a walking oxymoron. He acts like he's the moon one moment but radiates like the sun the next. 

"I'm twenty, I'm an Aquarius, and my favorite color used to be white, but brown is working its way up," he grins. 

Dan softens more and finally releases the metal pole, fiddling with his hands in his lap. "What were you doing here? In the hospital, I mean."

"I was visiting my Gran, she's been in here for a few days with a broken hip."

"You sound like a good grandson."

“The best,” he jokes and sets his hands behind him on the bed. Phil isn’t sure if he should ask Dan about his condition. It’s obvious why he’s here, and maybe he wouldn’t want to talk about it with a complete stranger. 

Before he could finish contemplating, Dan said, “I’ve been here for two and a half weeks. They want me here for a month, at least.”

Phil turns to look at him, staring into those amazing eyes. “Honestly, you don’t have to answer, but...you are okay, yeah? You’re getting better?”

“Yeah, of course,” the younger speaks far too quickly. “Anyway, let’s talk about something more interesting. Do you like movies?”

“I love movies,” he nods. He’s thankful for the subject change, because he doesn’t want to push too hard on the first day of knowing his soulmate. 

“What’s your favorite?” 

“Kill Bill, for sure.”

Dan smiles. “Mine’s Moulin Rouge. I’ve never seen Kill Bill, what’s it like?”

“You’ve never seen Kill Bill?” Phil exclaims excitedly. “It’s the greatest! Two hours of action and murder with a complex plot and everything! And awesome jokes!”

The grin doesn’t leave his face. “Do you have it? Like on DVD, or something?”

“I downloaded it a while ago!” the elder grins. “I asked for the box set for Christmas, so maybe I’ll get it, but we could always watch it on my laptop. I mean, if you would want to. It would be cool because it’ll be the first time I’ve watched it in color.”

“Yeah, that sounds awesome. When would you be able to hang out? It would have to be here, I guess, if you’re okay with that.”

"That's completely fine, Dan," Phil smiles and bites his lip. "Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Sounds great. It's not exactly like I have a busy schedule," he laughed. 

Ma-ia-hii

Ma-ia-huu

Ma-ia-hoo

Ma-ia-haha

Phil's phone is ringing and Dan bursts out in more laughter. "You seriously have that as your ringtone?" Something in his tone tells Phil that he doesn't mean it critically, he quite literally is just laughing because of course his soulmate would have the fucking numa-numa song as their ringtone. 

He waves a hand with a laugh and picks up the call. 

"Oh, yeah, right, dinner!" Phil remembers. "I'm sorry, Trevor, something came up. Yeah...someone." He smiles at Dan fondly. "Alright, yeah. Bye."

Dan smiles to know that he was the someone, but it soon turns into a frown. "Did you have something planned?"

"Just dinner with some friends," he shrugged. "Meeting you is far more interesting." 

No one has ever said that to Dan before, and he feels the flutter in his chest that he'd always dreamt about feeling when he finally met the one. 

"So," Dan says, anxiously twisting his hands in his lap. "I'm not really sure what to talk about, now. I'm not good at this whole...talking thing."

"We could get to know each other, like twenty questions," Phil offers with a small shrug. "Or we could do something else. It's totally up to you."

"Let's go for it." The younger smiles and brings his emaciated legs up so he can lean his torso on them. "You can start."

"Okay...well," Phil hums softly. He decides to start off with something simple. "What's your favorite band?"

"Muse," Dan answered without hesitation, his eyes lighting up. "I listen to a lot of stuff, but Muse is always on top."

"No way!" he exclaimed, widening his eyes. "I love Muse! My favorite album is Origin of Symmetry, what's yours?"

"Mine is Origin of Symmetry too!" 

The two boys smiled and talked about Muse excitedly for a long time before moving on. 

"What do you do when you feel alone?" Dan asks with a sincere tone after their explicit happiness had subsided, as if this answer would decide if he approved of Phil. 

The elder certainly hadn't expected that question, but that didn't mean he couldn't answer. 

"I listen to music. Sometimes I look at the stars, too," Phil said with a thoughtful hum. 

Dan smiled, his face shining. Apparently this was the right answer. With a lump in his throat, he hesitantly reached over and grabbed Phil's hand, giving it a squeeze. 

Phil squeezed back, warmness flooding into his chest. He had held hands with people before, he was twenty, of course he had. But this was different...this was perfect in every way. 

They just fit together so beautifully. 

\--  
Phil came back to visit Dan again the next day, but stopped by his Grandma's room first. He was only going to visit for a bit and then go over to his soulmate's room to watch Kill Bill. 

She gave him a knowing look when he walked into the room. "What color are my eyes?"

He grinned. "A gorgeous blue," Phil answered easily. "Did mum tell you?"

"She said he's here? In the hospital?"

The grin softened and fell back into a solemn look. "He's a few halls away, but yeah. I think he's got an eating disorder."

She frowned. "That's going to be rough. Best of luck, sweetheart. Now go, see what the love of your life is up to today."

Phil walked, his laptop bag draped over his shoulder. He popped his knuckles with anxiety making his heart race. He absentmindedly checked room numbers as he passed. 321, 322...323. 

Dan.

The door was closed, which Phil found to be odd. Most rooms in the psychology ward were propped open. Nonetheless, he knocked a few times and prepared himself for his soulmate. 

"Phil?" Dan's voice was soft, less excited than yesterday. 

"Yeah, Dan, it's me," he assured, pushing open the door. 

Dan was curled up on his side, the IV in his arm full of a weird white-brown mixture. He had his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around his stomach tightly. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Phil asked, concern filling his eyes. "Are you okay?" He took a hesitant seat on the very edge of the bed, staring at Dan with worry. 

"I'm never going to get out of here." 

"What makes you say that?"

"They want me to gain another seven kilograms before they'll release me."

The elder frowned. "Wait, why is that a bad thing?" 

"I've already gained a kilogram since I got here, Phil," Dan said in a small voice, not opening his eyes. 

"That's great, that means you're getting better, yeah?"

Dan opened his eyes to glare at Phil. "No, it's not."

Phil bit his lip and hesitantly joined Dan, lying down next to him but leaving a comfortable amount of space between himself and the younger.   
"Dan, I don't know much about what you're dealing with, honestly, but I do know that in order to get better you have to want it, right?" 

Dan nodded, pulling a pillow into his arms and hugging it before averting his eyes to the floor. 

"I understand that you don't want to gain weight, but don't you want to have a date with me outside of this hospital sometime?"

He nodded again. 

"We don't know each other completely yet, and that's okay. But I know that I really like you, and I'll like you even more when you're healthy and when I know you're okay."

He put the pillow down and rolled over so he was face-to-face with his soulmate. "I really like you, too." 

They watched the movie with Phil's arm draped over Dan's bony shoulders, and it was the most perfect thing in the world. 

\--  
Eventually, Grandma Dee left the hospital and Phil found himself spending more and more time with Dan -who he was pretty sure was the light of his life, honestly. 

They had been spending time together every day, except on Sundays, because those were Dan's family days. Phil had only met the other's family once. It consisted of two very kind parents and a young boy named Adrian. He liked them, and they seemed to approve of Phil. 

They're lying on the bed, side-by-side, with their legs dangling off when Dan says it. 

"They're releasing me in a few days."

Phil smiles so wide that he thinks his jaw may break, but he doesn't think of anything besides the brilliance that is Dan when he pulls him into a tight hug and whispers that he's proud. 

\--  
Phil accompanies Dan when he finally gets out of hospital, tagging along with the family that welcomes him as one of their own. He buys flowers from the gift shop downstairs and surprises his soulmate with them. Dan smiles and kisses him on the cheek to thank him. They both go bright red when they see Adrian smiling up at them. 

The car ride to Dan's house is short. The younger boy's head is leaning on his shoulder and their hands are clasped together and everything seems right. 

Phil watches a football game with the Howell family, and smiles at baby photos of a bright-eyes, toothless, floppy-haired boy. He leaves later that night, with thoughts of Dan overtaking his mind. 

\--  
Dan meets Phil's family at Christmas time, when he comes over to exchange gifts with Phil. He gives his boyfriend a string bracelet and a stuffed lion, which the elder loves dearly. Phil gives Dan a box set of Buffy that he promised they would watch together. The Lester family loves Dan immediately - even if the younger is the most nervous he's ever been - and accepts him, no questions asked. 

Grandma Dee finds the time to sit down with Dan and share a story or two about Phil, and that makes him more comfortable. He spends the night with his soulmate, their arms wrapped around each other. 

Phil finds that even though the snow has always looked white, now that he's lying in it, making snow angels and sharing kisses with his best friend and lover, it has never been more beautiful.


End file.
